spring meet

Tickets for Keeneland's 16-day Spring Meet, which runs April 5-26, go on sale Feb. 20. Headlined by the 100th running of the GI Toyota Blue Grass S., the meet will award more than $8.1m in purse money over 19 stakes races. Tickets can be purchased in advance here and fans are also welcome to tailgate on The Hill without a ticket or reservation. Keeneland will so also host fans for Kentucky Derby Day with general admission and Equestrian Room dining tickets available along with upgraded tailgate packages.

Tickets for the 150th GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks, along with the entire Spring meet at Churchill Downs, are available as of 12 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1. The meet, which runs April 27 to June 30, features events such as Opening Night, Dawn at the Downs Dining, 502's Day, Champions Day, Thurby and Taste of Derby. The Spring meet will also see the debut of the new paddock redesign project. Tickets for all events, including Derby weekend, are available to purchase here.

Several runners being pointed to opening weekend stakes turned in works Sunday morning over the fast main track. Dixiana Farms' homebred Hayes Strike (Connect) along with Mendelssohns March (Mendelssohn), owned by Harold Lerner, Nehoc Stables, AWC Stables and Team Stallion Racing Stable, tuned up for expected starts in Saturday's GI Toyota Blue Grass S. by working 5 furlongs in 1:00.60 in company together. Hayes Strike comes into the 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass off a victory in the Private Terms S. at Laurel March 18. "I don't run many horses in...

Led by the $3 million GI Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve Sat. May 6, a record 50 stakes races that total $20.525 million will be staged at Churchill Downs Racetrack during the 44-day Spring Meet which spans April 29-July 3. The lineup features 28 stakes races that received significant boosts--including the GI Stephen Foster which is now worth $1 million--and one new event, the $175,000 Chorleywood Overnight S. Derby Week kicks off the Spring Meet with 22 stakes that total a record $13.125 million over the six-day stretch that...

Officials at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) have released the stakes schedule for the Aqueduct spring meet Mar. 31 through Apr. 24, featuring 13 added-money events worth at least $2.7 million. The marquee day of the meet takes place Saturday, Apr. 9, highlighted by the $750,000 GII Wood Memorial S., a final prep for the GI Kentucky Derby that offers a total of 170 qualifying points (100-40-20-10) towards a start in the 'Run for the Roses.' Should a Grade I or Group 1 winner be declared an official starter...

With one day of racing remaining at the spring meet, jockey Tyler Gaffalione secured his fourth-straight title at Churchill Downs and fifth overall. Through 37 days of racing, the 26-year-old recorded 47 wins from 215 starters. He led second-place Ricardo Santana, Jr. by 17 wins at the end of Friday's card. "We've been extremely fortunate to ride some top-class horses this meet," Gaffalione said. "It's been a wild meet overall but very successful. I'm very grateful to everyone who helped me get to this point." Following Saturday's closing day card,...

The boutique 11-day Aqueduct spring meet generated all-sources handle of $85,419,050, a 2.2% increase over the 2019 Aqueduct spring meet, the New York Racing Association, Inc. announced Tuesday. Average daily handle over the 11 days of live racing was $7,765,368, an 11.5% increase over 2019, when average daily handle over the 12 days of live racing was $6,964,947. The 2020 spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack was canceled in its entirety due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In accordance with New York State guidelines instituted to mitigate the spread...

Laurel Park will open its 16-day spring meet Thursday, Apr. 8 and will continue through Sunday, May 2. Live racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday with a first-race post of 12:40 p.m. Post time moves to 12:15 p.m. for the Spring Stakes Spectacular program Apr. 24 and GI Kentucky Derby day from Churchill Downs May 1. Entries for Laurel's Apr. 8 opening day program will be taken Apr. 3. The Spring Stakes Spectacular program includes seven stakes worth $750,000 in purses led by the Federico Tesio S. for 3-year-olds...

Churchill Downs Racetrack officials have announced that opening day of the 2020 Spring Meet will be Saturday, May 16. After opening weekend on May 16-17, racing at the historic Louisville racetrack will be staged Thursdays through Sundays with a special holiday Monday card on Memorial Day, May 25. Post time for the first race each day will be 1 p.m. (all times Eastern). Vice President of Racing Ben Huffman is crafting a condition book for the schedule of races, including a revised stakes schedule, and it is expected to be...

Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs begins its 11th consecutive racing season Mar. 16 with 29 days of live Thoroughbred racing. The meet lasts until May 23, with first post at 1:15 p.m. Three stakes will be worth $55,000 apiece-the Apr. 20 Cinema S., the May 18 More Than Even S. and May 19 Cherokee Nation Classic Cup. "We are encouraged by more stall applications for this meet than any other since I've been here, and response to the condition book has been positive," racing secretary, announcer and oddsmaker John Lies...